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Sort of a rant on lack of respect for mothers in New Zealand [UPDATE]

It doesn't take much to trigger vocal, full-on hatred of children and mothers given the right subject matter.

In this case, it was directed against a woman who is the mother of six children with two on the way (expecting twins), who lives in a state house with her husband, and who would like a bigger state house for her expanding family.

Que outrage that any woman who has a state house would dare to have give birth to any more children. Except, what is she supposed to do with the buns in the oven - abort them? Should she be like this mother, who decided to write a letter to the editor justifying her abortion of her third child because he or she didn't suit their lifestyle?

We certainly have a problem in New Zealand, and it's not women having children. The problem is our much too generous welfare system, the lack of jobs for low skilled men, and the high cost of living that means that if a family wants to have a better living that mere subsistence, both parents need to be working.

Children are a blessing and our future, and yet our society barely tolerates them. So many times I have heard people phone up the radio station to let loose with tirades that involve the idea that a woman should only have as many children as she can afford. Except, that is what is happening now.

Middle class women can generally only afford to have a few children, so they only have a few, and lower class women can afford as many as they like, so they have as many as they like. Trying to get middle class women to have more children, and lower class women to have less children is impossible unless you elevate the role of motherhood (for middle class women) and ensure lower class men can get jobs to support their families. Then there might very well be more of a balance.

Babies in Parliament is just a side show. There should be no babies in Parliament. Babies in Parliament means the mother isn't doing either job properly, for looking after a baby is a full-time job and so is being a Parliamentarian. Women can't have both work and family, that is a myth. One or both will suffer. That's certainly been my personal experience as I bought into the myth, until I realised it was a myth.

UPDATE: Yes, I'm going bonkers. I will now cook dinner in the lounge, again. And then wash up in the bathroom. Tomorrow the kitchen installer people will turn up at 7:30am, which is far too early, but they have to, because their "day is full". Whatever the heck that means.

Comments

  1. If you look around, there's a marked lack of respect for a lot of things that are required for properly functioning society.

    But you'd think children (and the need to discipline them) would be one of the most obvious.

    ReplyDelete

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